Thanks for joining us for a weekly message from DuBois Light & Life Church. Today you will hear encouraging words, worship, and a message. Our goal is that you would find Hope, Healing, and Purpose in Jesus Christ.

Guardrail Series part 3

Live from DuBois Light and Life Church.

128 S 8th Street,

DuBois PA 15801

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In the last message, we learned that Guardrails are a Personal STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR that becomes a MATTER OF CONSCIOUS and that we don't all struggle in the same areas. Our guardrails will look very different from your neighbors. We cannot shame someone because they won't go where we will go. We also have a biblical mandate to make sure that we don't cause them to stumble over their own personal standards.

If you want to move or tear down your guardrails, you can because God gave you the free will to make your road as wide as you want it to be. The Word of God is clear: those who choose to make their roads wide will not reach the preferred destination. Sin should bother our conscience. It's about responding to the guilt of bumping into one of your guardrails then making the necessary adjustments to your driving (to your life) so that it doesn't happen again.

This Topic is ALL THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE because God has intived you to talk to him and relate to him as a heavenly Father. Good fathers say to their children -

"In order to keep you out of danger, I want to set up some protective barriers because I would rather have conflict with you here in my home, in my presence, than over there.

The conflict here within our relationship is much easier to resolve however the conflict over there leaves you with bruises, scars, memories, and things that you wished you didn't have to deal with so I want to make sure that the boundaries are so far away from the edge of danger that if WE end up in a conflict, we are going to have a little wreck against the guardrail instead of going over a cliff."

Ephesians is

•LETTER that the Apostle Paul Wrote to CHRISTIANS in Ephesus

•A Culture that was MORE ‘AMORAL’ & ‘IMMORAL’ than OURS

•What WE would consider ‘ADULTERY’ was part of a ‘RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE’ for them

•Paul goes through a LIST of – ‘Be Careful’ – ‘Don’t Do This’ – and ‘Be Honest’ – ‘Stop the Extra-Marital Sex’ – Stuff that WE would ‘EXPECT’

•Paul starts to sense his Audience wondering – In THIS ‘CULTURE’ of NO GUARDRAILS – HOW DO WE PULL ‘THAT’ OFF?

•Paul EXPLAINS – HOW a person AVOIDS the ‘DITCHES’ and STAYS BETWEEN THE ‘LINES’

Ephesians 5 : 15 – 17

15 “BE VERY CAREFUL, then, HOW YOU LIVE — NOT as UNWISE but as WISE,

16 MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY,

Paul is saying… pay attention to how you are living your life. Be intentional. Walking through life carefully. Spending your time wisely. These are dangerous days today to live in. We have to becareful financially, morally, in your marraige, in the way you deal with kids, temptations, and more! We live in a dangerous world and you have to becareful how you live.

17 “THEREFORE DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS.”

The english version of the word understand can be confusing. Paul COMMANDS us here to understand something which doesn't make sense... you can't just command someone to understand something. Paul is actually saying that I want you to face up to - accept - embrace - what you already know in your heart what God's will and plan is for your life.

Understand means that you already know.

Remember, Paul is talking to believers who already know the words, commands, decress, promises, warnings of God and His plan for their lives.

In your heart, wehre the beat of your relationship with God exists, you already know this. If you have forgotten, you are under the rule of deception. If you don't care or not paying attention, you are under the rule of the flesh. If you have flat out rebelled against it, you are under the rule of the world.

Paul is saying - I want you to face up, embrace, accept what God's plan is for your money, marraige, friendships, dating relationships, time, and possesions. He is saying to stop playing games, pretending, watering down the gospel and fogging up the truth and be honest with yourself that you KNOW what is on the other side of that gaurdrail. You don't need any new information.

This message is like a spiritual 2x4 upside our heads and once in a while we need that because all of us have the tendency to play as close as we can to the edge of disaster in many areas of our lives. 'How close can I get to sin without sinning?'

Quit flirting with disaster and embrace what you know in your heart that God wants you to do and be.